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Media Hit | Higher Ed

The New Student Battle Cry: Don't Double My Rate!

The media and the country are just waking up to the alarming fact that unless Congress acts by July 1, the interest rate on subsidized Stafford student loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Congress must not let that happen.

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Blog Post | Tax

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone on the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act | Gideon Weissman

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone to NJPIRG, announcing that he will become a cosponsor of H.R. 2669, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.  This bill will close a tax loophole that costs the American public more than $100 billion every single year.  For more on NJPIRG's work on fair tax policy, see our tax issue page here: http://njpirg.org/topics/tax

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News Release | NJPIRG | Tax

Offshore Tax Havens Cost Average New Jersey Taxpayer $668 a Year, Each New Jersey Small Business $2,116, New Study Finds

With tax day approaching, a new study released by NJPIRG found that the average New Jersey taxpayer in 2011 would have to shoulder an extra $668 tax burden to make up for revenue lost from corporations and wealthy individuals shifting income to offshore tax havens. The report, Picking Up The Tab: Average Citizens and Small Businesses Pay the Price for Offshore Tax Havens, additionally found that to cover the cost of the corporate abuse of tax havens in 2011, small businesses in New Jersey would have to foot a bill of over $2,116 on average. 

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Report | NJPIRG | Tax

Picking Up the Tab

Some U.S.-based multinational firms or individuals avoid paying U.S. taxes by transferring their earnings to tax haven countries with minimal or no taxes. These tax haven users benefit from their access to America’s markets, workforce, infrastructure and security; but they pay little or nothing for it—violating the basic fairness of the tax system and forcing other taxpayers to pick up the tab.

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Blog Post | Democracy

Disempowered Bankers Start Super PAC, Reveal Plans for World Domination

While I am highly skeptical of the sentiment that "Congress is not afraid of bankers", given that banking lobbyists outnumber banking reform advocates 25-1 and that the Chairman of the Senate Financial Services Subcommittee seems to believe that "the banks own the place," the most ridiculous thing about members of the American Bankers Association's announcement of the industry's new Super PAC may be their willingness to reveal its strategy for skirting the non-coordination rules. This speaks volumes about how the industry thinks about its involvement in politics.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Budget

New Report Shows That New Jersey Has High Risk for Misuse of Developer Subsidies

A new research report today shows that New Jersey is at high risk for misuse of tax revenue thanks to a problematic system of funding commercial development.  The report outlines problems with the growing trend among cities to borrow against future growth and divert tax revenues as a way to attract economic development. 

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Media Hit | Budget, Tax

NJBIZ: High potential for abuse in N.J.'s incentives to developers

Efforts to promote commercial development has put New Jersey at high risk for misuse of tax revenue, and has created a growing trend in which cities borrow against future growth, according to a report released today by the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group.

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Media Hit | Budget, Food

newjerseynewsroom.com: Report: Federal agriculture subsidies pay for 19 Twinkies per N.J. taxpayer

Have you received your 19 free Twinkies and quarter of an apple from the federal government yet?  Well ok, it doesn’t exactly work that way but federal subsidies for commodity crops are subsidizing junk food additives like high fructose corn syrup, enough to pay for 19 Twinkies per taxpayer every year, according to the report "Apples to Twinkies" made public Thursday by New Jersey Public Interest Research Group.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Budget, Food, Health Care

Ag Subsidies Pay for 19 Twinkies per Taxpayer, But Only a Quarter of an Apple

Federal subsidies for commodity crops are also subsidizing junk food additives like high fructose corn syrup, enough to pay for 19 Twinkies per taxpayer every year, according to Apples to Twinkies, a new report by NJPIRG released today at Lincoln Park Community Farm.   Meanwhile, limited subsidies for fresh fruits and vegetables would buy less than a quarter of an apple per taxpayer.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law and Policy Center | Safe Energy

Nuclear Power: Not Worth the Risk

A new report released today by the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) documents a history of safety problems at nuclear reactors in the United States. These incidents – like the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan – illustrate that nuclear power carries with it risks that are simply not worth taking.

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Tools & Resources

  • Protect N.J. From Toxic Accidents
    This accident in Paulsboro was a sobering reminder of the threat of toxic accidents. Tell the EPA: Protect our communities from toxic threats.
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  • STOP TAX DODGERS
    Corporate tax avoidance cost taxpayers $100 billion last year. We're working to close the loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying the taxes they owe.
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  • Reclaim Democracy
    The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision ushered in an era of unprecedented spending by big money in our elections, but we're working to return our democracy back to the principle of "one person, one vote."
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  • How Many Tax Dollars In A Twinkie?
    Every year, more than a billion taxpayer dollars subsidize high-fructose corn syrup and other key ingredients in junk food at a time when 1 in 3 kids is overweight or obese.
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The vinyl chloride spill in Paulsboro was a sobering reminder of the threat of toxic spills. Tell the EPA: Keep our communities safe from toxic accidents.

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